Massive Open Online Course Instructor Motivations, Innovations, and Designs - Surveys, Interviews, and Course Reviews

Oct 15, 2026

A mixed methods study examines instructor motivations for offering massive open online courses (MOOCs) and the instructional innovations that shape MOOC design. The researchers surveyed 143 MOOC instructors worldwide, interviewed 12 of them via Zoom, and conducted extensive course reviews of the interviewees. Motivations included growth needs such as curiosity and experimenting with new teaching approaches, plus relatedness needs like reaching more people and enabling peer feedback. Innovations emphasized problem-based learning, service learning, and shorter video lengths, with instructors reporting overall satisfaction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

MOOCs in Higher Education

Motivations for Offering MOOCs

Massive Open Online Course Instructor Motivations, Innovations, and Designs: Surveys, Interviews, and Course Reviews Motivations, innovations et conceptions des instructeurs de cours en ligneouverts à tous : sondages, entrevues et évaluations de cours Meina Zhu, Indiana University Curtis J. Bonk, Indiana University Annisa R. Sari, Yogyakarta State University, Indiana University Abstract This mixed methods study explores instructor motivations for offering massive open online courses (MOOCs) as well as the instructional innovations used to enhance the MOOC design. The researchers surveyed 143 MOOC instructors worldwide and then interviewed 12 of these instructors via Zoom. They also extensively reviewed the MOOCs ofthe interviewees. The primary motivations for offering MOOCs included “growth” needs such as curiosity about MOOCs and the exploration of new ways of teaching. In addition,“relatedness” needs of instructors included reaching more people, showcasing research and teaching, marketing their university, integrating interactive technology, and obtaining peer reviews. The perceived instructional innovations of these MOOC instructors included using problem-based learning, service learning in MOOCs, and shortening the length of videos. Overall, these MOOC instructors were satisfied with their MOOC designs. Résumé Cette étude faisant appel à des méthodes mixtes explore les motivations des instructeurs de cours en ligne ouverts à tous ainsi que les innovations pédagogiques utilisées pour améliorer la conception de ces cours. Les chercheurs ont procédé au sondage de 143 instructeurs de coursen ligne ouverts à tous à travers le monde et ont ensuite interviewé 12 de ces instructeurs par l’entremise de Zoom. Ils ont également réalisé un examen approfondi des cours en ligne ouverts à tous des instructeurs interviewés. Les motivations principales pour l ’offre de cours en ligneouverts à tous comprenaient des besoins relatifs à la « croissance », comme la curiosité au sujet de ces cours et l ’exploration de nouvelles façons d ’enseigner. De plus, les désirs relationnels des instructeurs comprenaient joindre plus de gens, mettre en lumière la recherche et l ’enseignement, publiciser leur université, intégrer la technologie interactive et obtenir des évaluations par les pairs. Les innovations pédagogiques perçues par ces instructeurs de cours en ligne ouverts à tous comprenaient l’utilisation de l ’apprentissage par résolution de problèmes, de l’apprentissage par le service dans les cours en ligne ouverts à tous et la durée écourtée des vidéos. Dans l ’ensemble, les instructeurs de cours en ligne ouverts à tous étaient satisfaits de leur conception de cours. Introduction MOOCs have been offered by a variety of institutions, organizations, and vendors (Veletsianos, Collier, & Schneider, 2015); importantly, the number keeps growing (Bonk, Lee, Reeves, & Reynolds, 2015; Conole, 2015; Shah, 2015, 2016, 2018a, 2018b; Watson et al., 2016) . The design of MOOCs can greatly influence learner engagement and interaction, deep and meaningful learning, and participant completion rates (Pappano, 2012; Yousef, Chatti, Schroeder, & Wosnitza, 2015) . At the same time, the motivation of instructors can influence their teaching behaviours and efforts (Maehr & Braskamp, 1986; Pelletier, Séguin-Lévesque, & Legault, 2002; Roth, Assor, Kanat-Maymon, & Kaplan, 2007; Wild, Enzle, Nix, & Deci, 1997); however, there is a scarcity of studies specifically focusing on instructor motivation to offer MOOCs (Czerniewicz, Deacon, Glover, & Walji, 2017) . There is also a dearth of research on instructional innovations in designing MOOCs and other forms of open education (Bonk et al., 2015; Brouns et al., 2014; Lowenthal & Hodges, 2015; Margaryan, Bianco, & Littlejohn, 2015) . In response, this study explores instructor motivations for offering MOOCs and the design innovations in MOOCs. Among the chief goals is to better understand MOOC design pract

FAQs

What research methods were used to study MOOC instructors?

The study used a mixed methods design: a survey of 143 MOOC instructors, follow-up interviews with 12 instructors via Zoom, and extensive reviews of the interviewees’ MOOCs.

What were the main motivations instructors had for offering MOOCs?

The primary motivations involved growth needs (e.g., curiosity about MOOCs and exploring new teaching ways) and relatedness needs (e.g., reaching more people, showcasing research and teaching, marketing, integrating interactive technology, and obtaining peer reviews).

Which instructional innovations were identified in the MOOC designs?

The perceived innovations included problem-based learning, service learning within MOOCs, and shortening the length of videos. Overall, instructors reported satisfaction with their MOOC designs.

Oct 15, 2026

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